


Quiet

by brightingales (zoeteniets)



Series: Jarry tumblr prompts [7]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Canon Compliant, Flash Forward, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 08:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16472540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoeteniets/pseuds/brightingales
Summary: For the tumblr promt: "we have to be quiet"James sees a vision of what his life would be like when his relationship with Harry is finally out in the open. A riff of the classic 5 + 1 fic structure.





	Quiet

“We can still keep seeing each other,” Harry says to him. “We just… we have to be quiet about it…”

It’s like a switch is flicked in James’s brain. Suddenly, it is as if he’s watching an old movie, projected onto the backs of his eyes. The cogs of an old projector whirr and turn in his head as James stands and watches, utterly captivated.

He and Harry walk into the village hand in hand. They go to a coffee shop and James orders a cappuccino for his “boyfriend”. People stare as they walk past and James revels in their jealousy. “Look at what I’ve got!” James wants to say to them, “It’s bright and it’s shiny and it’s all mine!” Instead, he just places his hand on the small of Harry’s back, guiding him and supporting him, and showing the local cretins that Harry finally has someone who will always be by his side.

The scene changes – James is in his office, slaving over a case when the door creeks open and in walks Harry with a bag full of takeaway and an enormous smile that suddenly makes everything seem a little brighter. They eat chow mein with chopsticks and try not to spill the sauce on important documents as Harry sits on the desk and chats nonsense about his day. James gratefully eats, delighted by Harry’s company and how well the younger man has taken care of him. Harry’s presence can always rescue even the dreariest of evenings. When George, the boss’s pretentious PA puts his head around the door to ask if the file James has been working on all day is ready, he is so taken aback by their domesticity that (for once) he drops the fake ‘Oxford’ accent and asks “James! Who’s your fella…?”

A few weeks later, James’s invite to the company’s annual charity ball is addressed to “Mr Nightingale, and guest.”

James watches the movie in his mind as Harry’s clothes transform from shabby-student to suave-socialite like some sort of Cinder-fella. The suit that movie-James has picked out for Harry fits perfectly – hugging every curve of his body, clinging to every inch of muscle. James can’t wait to get him out of it. But first, the party. Harry links their arms together and, for a moment, James feels like he’s the one being shown off. They’ve done this, once before, and Harry excelled at charming the pants (quite literally) off everyone in the room. But now it’s not a lie. Now James can call Harry “my partner” and the words don’t taste like ash in his mouth. Instead, he chews on them throughout the night, mentioning them at every opportunity until James wonders if it’s possible to wear a word out.

Then, at the world’s most awkward Christmas dinner James is relieved to see that the only thing that anyone legitimately has to complain about is the fact that the parsnips are slightly burnt. James doesn’t like them anyway, so it hardly bothers him, but it gives Tony an excuse to scowl that’s not ‘my son is dating a man twelve years older than him, but I don’t have a leg to stand on if I start a row about it again’. Marnie passes Diane the sherry and Harry hides his grin in his napkin when it suddenly becomes clear just how drunk they are.

Dee Dee requests a bedtime story from the big book of fairy tales James and Harry have given her as a Christmas present. She’s still trying to wrap her head around their relationship so Harry volunteers them both for the duty. While Harry had always made it clear that he resented being second best to Ste’s kids and James had done the same with regard to Harry’s siblings he knows that these relationships are important to Harry. And that means they’re important to James now too.

James watches the scenes of his fantasy blend together until Harry is tucking Dee Dee into bed. And when she asks, “why are you spending so much time with James?” Harry replies, “because he’s my fiancé”. Before James can correct the mistake, Harry is pulling him under the mistletoe and pressing a small jewellery box into his hand.

Later, much later, James phones down to the front desk of the hotel that they have spent all three days of their Honeymoon locked inside. He tells the lovely girl on reception that he would like to order room service for his husband as he strokes the high arch of Harry’s foot now sticking adorably out from under the covers. And as he snuggles back under the sheets with him to wait for the oysters and champagne to arrive, he presses his ear against Harry’s chest and listens to his heart beat out the rhythm of his favourite words:

_He’s mine… He’s mine… He’s mine…_

James saves the first piece of post that comes addressed to Mr and Mr Nightingale. He considers buying monogrammed towels. He has a signet ring made for Harry that proclaims his new identity to the world. He is ‘Mr Nightingale’ at every opportunity. ‘My husband’ at every other. James will hire a skywriter and have the words flown into clouds in the sky so that everyone can see. He’ll shout it, scream it from a balcony, and holler it out to the four winds. If only they would let him.

“James…”

The celluloid behind his eyes catches fire and burns to nothing. That pleasant film of a perfect future fades to just another pretty lie James has told himself to get through the day. The bright colours and happy scenes grow faint in the sunlight as James opens his eyes once more.

“We have to be quiet…” Harry tells him.

“I won’t,” James swears. It’s the truest vow he’s ever made.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr @brighitngales for more jarry nonsense 
> 
> Do I get a bonus point for fitting in a reference to James's now canon foot-fetish? ;)


End file.
